Freelancing, Stress and Stoicism by Andrew Munro

The gig economy, talent economy, independent professionals, interims, locums and freelancers – the media seems obsessed with the supposed evils and potential advantages of this brave new world. But, is it real, is it happier and what lessons could Stoicism have for adventurers in this new land?

Freelancing – The Figures

Freelancing, as a model of work, is
growing. Of course, there have always been independent workers, from casual bar
staff to your local, independent plumber, but a decade of empowering technology
has made it much simpler for would-be independents and clients to connect.

Those are substantial figures and on the
increase all across the world.

Is it a happier life? For most, freelancing is a positive career choice (not employment of last resort). Research, like this recent report from FlexJobs, regularly reflects freelancers’ positive outlook.

The report found that:

92% of freelancers said the
freelance lifestyle was important to them

63% said freelancing had a
“positive impact” [on their lifestyle]

60% said freelancing has helped
them become healthier

66% said they are less stressed
as a freelancer.

In general, then, we independents are a happy bunch.Sometimes though, it doesn’t feel less stressed. There always seems to be some time-money tension;
inevitably you’re worrying about one or the other.

Training? You won’t take the time when
you’re busy, but you won’t spend the money when you’re quiet. Holidays? You
can’t get free when there’s work to do, but you feel guilty when your project
pipeline’s a bit limp and saggy. And then there are sales calls to make, debts
to manage and bills to pay. Oh, and difficult client to manage, too.

Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus are two of
the most popular Stoic philosophers. Marcus was an emperor, Epictetus a slave.
As a freelancer, you can feel like either or both … often on the same day.

What, then, can a 2,000-year old philosophy offer this new world of work?Stoicism emphasizes personal responsibility and self-discipline. In many ways, it’s perfectly aligned to those on an independent journey as “Me Inc.”

Here are five areas where applying a little
Stoic perspective can lighten your daily burden.

1. Don’t stress about what you can’t control

As an independent, it’s all down to you. There’s
no corporate comfort-blanket of admin, finance or marketing support; no holiday
pay, sick pay or health insurance. You’re on your own. But that doesn’t mean
you have to own everything. Some things, simply, are beyond your control.

One of the core tenets of Stoic thinking is
the observation that, as Epictetus says, “some things are within our power,
while others are not.”[i]

And he warns:

If you regard that which … is not your own as being your own, you’ll have cause to lament, you’ll have a troubled mind and you’ll find fault with both gods and human beings[ii]

If you’re prone to worry, like a dog with a
bone, try listing all your concerns on paper, then mark each as within or
outwith your control. Make a positive decision to let go of the things you
can’t control. Put your mental energies towards the things you can: the quality
of your work, meeting deadlines etc.

2. Choose how you respond to events

Often, as a freelancer, you feel the need
to respond to everything, immediately. The customer, after all, is king. You
don’t want anyone to think you can’t cope or that you’re not interested.

When something happens unexpectedly, there
is a tendency to respond immediately. But, the knee-jerk reaction isn’t always
the right reaction. When we react instinctively, we can manufacture our own
outrage and offence.

As Epictetus tell us:

It isn’t the things themselves that disturb people, but the judgements that they form about them [iii]

In other words, mind the gap between any
stimulus and your response to it.

Without realising, we too often “choose” to
get stressed by an unanswered email, a late purchase order, an ill-informed
comment or off-the-cuff feedback. Take a moment. Pause. Choose a better
response. Realise that the client’s slow reply is not likely to be a personal
insult. A delayed purchase order is more often down to bureaucracy than a
change of heart. After all your big-company client isn’t as agile as a
freelancer. That’s one of the reasons they hired you.

Agility is valuable, but stubborn independence
is not. Being freelance doesn’t need to mean being alone. You can respond with
time and with help:

Think it no shame to be helped. Your business is to do your appointed duty, like a soldier in the breach. How, then, if you are lame, and unable to scale the battlements yourself, but could do it if you had the aid of a comrade?[iv]

3. Keep a sense of perspective

When you work on your own, wholly
responsible for your success or failure, events can become magnified in your
mind. Everything can seem of monumental significance. It can be difficult to
keep some headspace, to keep things in their proper proportions.

But remember, even a missed deadline is
seldom cataclysmic.

As the most powerful man on earth, the
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, observed:

In the universe Asia and Europe are but two small corners, all oceans’ water a drop, [Mount] Athos a puny lump of earth, the vastness of time a pin’s point in eternity.[v]

Stoic philosophy can be very grounding.
Marcus returns time and time again to humanity’s minute and fleeting spot in
time and space.

The first rule,” he writes, “is to keep an untroubled spirit; for all things must bow to Nature’s law, and soon enough you must vanish into nothingness, like Hadrian and Augustus.[vi]

In other words, get over yourself. What can
seem calamitous in the wee, small, sleepless hours is often somewhat less
significant in the cool, morning air.

Remember the Steely Dan song:

When the demon is at your door In the morning it won’t be there no more.[vii]

Step outside for some oxygen, some sunlight,
some space and some coffee.

4. Enjoy the moment

Enjoy the moment, enjoy the ride. It’s much
too easy to dwell on what we should have done yesterday and what we need to do
tomorrow. It’s very much a human failing, as Roman philosopher Seneca observes,

Animals in the wild flee the dangers they see and are tranquil once they have escaped; we, though, are tormented both by what is to come and what has been. Often, our goods do us harm: memory recalls the stab of fear; foresight anticipates it. No one is made wretched merely by the present.[viii]

It can easily be a freelancer’s failing,
too: How did I do? Did I do enough? Will they like what I sent? How do I get
more business? What happens when this project is over? Planning is good, but
fretting is pointless.“If you lay hands on today,” Seneca tells
us, “you will find you are less dependent on tomorrow. While you delay, life
speeds on by.”[ix]

Marcus agrees:

“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”[x]

Stoic thinking isn’t fatalistic, but it is
deeply pragmatic.

And, nature too

Stoics are very aware of humanity’s
integral place in Nature and of its beauty. It’s a perspective that feels
perfectly aligned with our current eco-aware times.

I love this passage from Marcus:

“When a loaf of bread, for instance, is in the oven, cracks appear in it here and there; and these flaws, though not intended in the baking, have a rightness of their own, and sharpen the appetite. Figs, again, at their ripest will also crack open. When olives are on the verge of falling, the very imminence of decay adds its peculiar beauty to the fruit.”[xi]

Remember that the freedom and flexibility
of the freelance lifestyle entitles you to walk bare-foot on the grass, or
wander among the trees, and appreciate nature’s ever-changing beauty. Don’t
forget to use your freedom to enjoy your surroundings. Live the freelance dream
a little.

5. Live with integrity

For Stoics, life’s goal is to live “in agreement with Nature”, which translates as living a virtuous life where the four cardinal virtues are: Wisdom, Courage, Justice and Temperance. In many ways, it’s the flip-side of our first observation. You can’t control everything . . . but you can, and should, control your self: your responses, behaviours, and thoughts.

In Meditations, Marcus returns frequently to the concept of duty. That may not be surprising for a Roman emperor (and history remembers Marcus Aurelius as one of – often, the last of – the “good emperors”). His thoughts are relevant for freelancers. We stand or fall by our last project and the reputation that follows us. Therefore:

“Give your heart to the trade you have learnt, and draw refreshment from it.”[xii]

He also counsels himself:

“Hour by hour resolve firmly, like a Roman and a man, to do what comes to hand with correct and natural dignity, and with humanity, independence, and justice.”[xiii]

And, especially for stressed-out
sleepyheads:

“At day’s first light have in readiness against disinclination to leave your bed, the thought that ‘I am rising for the work of man.’”[xiv]

As a freelancer, reputation is all you
have. Never be tempted to compromise or surrender it for the expediency of a
project.

It’s also worth noting, in these virtue-signalling times, that “integrity” doesn’t need grim-faced declarations of self-denial. Seneca had little patience with the hair-shirt brigade.“Philosophy,” he said, “demands self-restraint, not self-abnegation – and even self-restraint can comb its hair.”

Finishing Thoughts: A Stoic Guide for the Stressed?

I came to Stoicism by accident.I was browsing in the beautiful, art deco, Waterstones bookshop on Piccadilly, when I came across a table display of Penguin’s Great Ideas series. Series 1, Book 2 was Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. I started to flick through and I was hooked by its easily accessible, mostly “snackable” aphorisms. For an 1,800-year old text, it felt strikingly familiar and contemporary.

Meditations – which is many people’s first encounter with Stoic texts – has, for me, a real sense of authenticity. It was written as a note-book, not a text book. It was Marcus’ notes-to-self, never intended for publication. In it, you read him berating himself for his failures, struggling with the frustrations of his office and contemplating the nature of the world and society around him. It is intimate and applicable.

I’m no expert on Stoicism, but it’s a philosophy that sits well with me. I find it relevant and I draw on it increasingly in every day life as an independent professional. Often, the simple realisation that “this is not new, I’m not the only one” is valuable. For that alone, I think every freelancer should have a copy of Meditations ready at hand. Stick a copy in your bag or on your desk and dip into it wherever you feel the spider of stress crawl across your skin.

Andrew Munrois a writer and independent professional. ThroughBurning Pine, he helps businesses to grow by telling their stories. He blogs on topics related to work and the freelance life atThe Sovereign Professional.